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Aboriginal Awareness Week a success

Apr 10/11

A smudge ceremony, Métis fiddlers, an art show and a film screening
were just some of the events that were part of Laurier Brantford's Aboriginal
Awareness Week March 21 to 25.

The opening ceremony was held March 21 in the SC
Johnson Building lobby, 38 Market Street. The ceremony featured a
smudging ceremony, which is a purification ceremony using sacred
medicines such as tobacco, sweetgrass, cedar and sage. The smoke from
the sacred medicine purifies the mind, body, and spirit. Tribal Vision
Dance also performed dances of both Powwow and Iroquoian styles.

“The week is an opportunity for both the Laurier campus and the
community to celebrate the Aboriginal culture and heritage of this
area," said Marnie Antoniow, Laurier Brantford's Aboriginal
student support coordinator. “We are celebrating not only the Aboriginal
culture of Six Nations and the Mississaugas of the New Credit, but also
the strong Aboriginal heritage on the Brantford campus.”

A screening of "Third World Canada" with producer/director Andree Cazabon, was originally part of the week , but due to inclement weather was re-scheduled and took place on Wednesday, April 6.
Set in the Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (the people of the lake), a
remote Native community in Northern Ontario, the film is explores the
aftermath of the suicide of three parents and the impact of Third World
conditions on the children left behind. Inspired by the film, Laurier
Brantford student Maureene Ninham created the "Adopt-a-Box" campaign to provide support to the community in need.

Other highlights of the week included:

Performance by the Métis Fiddler Quartet

Darren Thomas, a motivational speaker and Laurier
graduate student, will hosted a comedy hypnosis show March 24.

A visit to the Mush Hole Exhibit and The Art of Healing at the Brantford Arts Block, 80 Dalhousie Street.